


Sweet Dreams

by Girlie



Category: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo, 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Brutal Murder, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Graphic Description, Horror, Other, Physical Abuse, Torture, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:41:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29820243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlie/pseuds/Girlie
Summary: Xiao's less than happy backstory.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING! If you don’t like the level of graphic violence that can only be found in your worst nightmares, and/or you don’t like rip-your-heart-out-of-your-chest tragedy, this fic is not for you. 
> 
> If you have a history of depression, consider carefully before you read. Minors younger than 16 should probably also steer clear. Where possible, wait ‘till you’re older to find out how psycho the world really is. It’s easier on your poor, still-developing brain.  
> Not that teens usually listen to those types of instructions, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The rough rock scraped against Lumine’s palms as she pulled herself through the close, dark tunnel. She kept her head low, worried she’d hit it on the stone roof. Somewhere beyond her in the dark unknown, she heard dripping water, but otherwise, the silence pressed all around, not unlike the unforgiving granite scraping against her fingernails. For the first time since she decided to enter this tiny cave, a bit of claustrophobic panic started pricking her nervous system. She imagined how hard it would be to wriggle backwards out of this tunnel, wondered how long she’d been crawling like this-- before steering her thoughts away from such dispiriting imaginings. It was never a good idea to panic in a small, enclosed space. Besides, her adventurer’s spirit wasn’t about to abandon her now. Forward, then, into the unknown. 

In any case, in the event of a cave in, she’d have her Geo elemental power. She wouldn’t be trapped. She pressed onward, crawling on her belly, scraping her elbows and knees raw as she used them to push herself forward. How much farther was it?

“Paimon?” she called, wincing at how abnormally loud her own voice sounded in the tunnel. It echoed all around her. For several long heartbeats, she heard no response. Paimon wouldn’t just abandon her in a place like this-- right?

To her relief, she heard the dim twinkling of constellations, and saw what little light there was reflecting off Paimon’s white hair. The elf was small enough that she could fit in the tunnel without touching any of the walls, and she’d been scouting ahead, finding out where the tunnel came out so that Lumine would be prepared for what she’d find at the other end. 

“The tunnel ends just ahead,” Paimon said in her childlike voice. “There’s a big cave type of open area, and there’s enough light to see.” 

Lumine sighed in relief and smiled at her friend, her wavering courage returning with the good news. “Thanks, Paimon. I’m glad I brought you along.”

“Of course you are,” Paimon said smugly. “Now come on, stop being so slow! I’ve been waiting for AGES!” 

“Easy for you to say,” Lumine grunted into the stone floor as she started crawling forward again. But Paimon didn’t seem to be listening; she’d already retreated back down the tunnel. 

Lumine’s exit from the tunnel was less than graceful. The tunnel’s opening was a meter higher than the cavern floor, meaning she had to squeeze out of the dusty hole into a headfirst drop. That said, she was so glad to breathe fresh air and blink back against real sunlight, dim or not, that she didn’t mind doing an awkward walk forward on her hands, and landing hard on her belly as the tunnel spat her out. Even if she did bang her knee rather painfully on the rock below. As for how she looked, well, she found herself covered in dirt often enough these days that she didn’t think twice about it. Sneezing and rubbing the grit from her eyes, she inspected the cavern she’d landed in, blinking blonde eyelashes as her vision adjusted to the light.

The light and fresh air in the cavern came from a series of cracks in the stone ceiling. She could just barely see the blue line of sky through the openings. The cavern extended further on all sides than the light from these cracks revealed, though she caught glimpses of stalactites and stalagmites in the shadows. The dripping water was louder here, but at least it had some competition in the whistle of wind she could hear coming from the cracks above. As long as the wind was here, she wasn’t alone.

There was Paimon, of course, but when it came to sticky situations, her help only went so far. It was reassuring that she’d be able to call on her good friend Venti if she ended up in a really bad spot. Him, and Xiao, if things got really serious. She hadn’t forgotten what he’d said at the Lantern Rite-- that she could call on him if she ever needed help. She was still in Liyue, as far as she knew, in the mountains bordering it and Mond.

“Paimon, have you seen any monsters in here?” she asked in a half-whisper. Despite her efforts, her voice still sounded loud to her ears.

“Nope,” Paimon said, clearly not noticing her friend’s attempt to be stealthy. “Paimon hasn’t seen anything except this treasure chest right here!” Excitedly, she flew in circles around a stone sarcophagus etched with Liyuean writing. The cracks in the ceiling above shone light directly onto it, making it the clear center of attention in the cavern. “Come on, open it!”

Curiously, Lumine approached it. It was carved out of the stone below it into a perfect rectangle, but she noted there wasn’t a mark of a chisel anywhere on the sarcophagus itself, or the surrounding stone floor. The writing on the slab lid also looked too organic, as if it had been formed with magic instead of human hands. “I don’t think this is a treasure chest, Paimon,” she said cautiously. “We should be careful--” Paimon flew down to the stone lid and did her best to move it, flying against one corner of it until her cheeks turned red with effort. Finally, she gave up, dropping in the air and panting with exhaustion. 

“Paimon can’t get inside!” the elf whined. “Paimon’s been trying!”

“So that’s what you were doing the whole time I was crawling here,” Lumine said, putting her fists on her hips. 

“Open it!” Paimon demanded. 

“Wait. Let’s read what’s on the lid first.”

Paimon released a frustrated whine, crossing her arms in a temper. She wasn’t particularly interested in what the writing on the stone chest said, she just wanted whatever glittering treasure was inside it.

Lumine squinted at the words in front of her. “It’s an old dialect of Liyuean, but I think I can read it…” she murmured. As she read, her expression changed from curious, to concerned, to disgusted. When she finished reading it, she stepped away from the stone, hugging herself grimly.

“What’s it say?” Paimon demanded.

“There’s a weapon inside. A jade bow that kills gods.” 

Paimon’s eyes positively sparkled. “Ooooh! A legendary weapon!” She ran in place in midair, rubbing her little hands together. “Come on, take it! It could be worth a lot of mora-- erm, I mean, you could use it to slay monsters!” 

Lumine shook her head, still frowning. “No. I don’t want this bow. Besides, it’s sealed. Probably only a god can get it out.” Three guesses as to which god in particular, she thought, noting the perfect geometric shape of the sarcophagus, formed from living stone with Geo elemental power. 

“What!” Paimon exclaimed. “What do you mean, you don’t want it! You said it can kill gods! Don’t you want to use it to get your brother back?”

Oddly enough, that hadn’t occurred to Lumine until Paimon mentioned it. Perhaps such a bow would be useful in the fight against the unknown god… but the temptation lasted only a moment. “I still can’t get to it,” she reminds Paimon. “Besides, Zhongli might be mad at us for trying to get it out. Do you want him mad at you?” 

“Paimon sees your point,” the elf says, drooping in the air and putting a hand to the crown on her head. Lumine feels kind of bad for her friend; treasure is her favorite thing besides food. “So we came all this way for nothing,” she huffs. 

Lumine didn’t answer. Her eyes were drawn once again to the writing on the stone tablet. Those words had made her stomach sicken as she’d read them. She pulled a pad of paper and a quill out of her bag and knelt next to the sarcophagus, carefully copying down the Liyuean characters.

“What are you doing?” Paimon asked.

“I want to ask some historians about what’s written on this stone box.”

“Historians?” Paimon crossed her arms again and gave Lumine a flat look. “What, are you an archaeologist now?” Lumine didn’t respond. Paimon flew closer to read over her friend’s shoulder as she wrote, wondering what had her human companion so engrossed.

The slab read thus:

The precious stone known as jade is known to shine even in the darkest night. When carved into a bow, they say that the arrows fired from it would seek out and destroy all evil. 

The gaze of the lord of the mountains remained resolute and cold till the end, chilling and contained like the eternal glint of golden jade. In those endlessly turbulent years, the tremulous, resounding howls of the bowstring replaced comforting song.  
That god who once had great insight into the weakness in mortal hearts was slain by this very bow. Her eyes were keen and her mind was sharp, and she excelled in dominating the wills of those who served her. 

“See, my child, how this dauntless hero is gnawed by fear. See how selfless rulers bow as if they lacked spines. Behold, my child, how those lovers who swore by the sky and earth betray and torment one another with lies.”  
Surrounded by hatred and resentment, the god reclined upon her throne, savoring the fruit of joy, watching the juices flow between her fingers.  
And with the sound of formless, clattering chains, blood-drunk on agony and frenzy alike, the loyal bloodhound at her feet devoured dreams. Those unbending bones resisted the piercings and floggings, though each heartbeat would bring fresh agonies. The wondrous taste of those blood-drenched dreams was matched only by their transience, and the pure hatred and revulsion they produced indeed brought the god to ecstasy.

“Then tell me, child, tell me! How do those sweet dreams you have devoured taste? Child, know that love is but a fleeting fog. It is power that forms the stuff of sweet dreams.”

Pain and cruelty were but the ripple effects of power. It was shattered dreams that were the joyous, sweet wine. But the god who was herself so sharp never expected that her heart, too, would be pierced by arrows of jade. When her form crumbled, the unnumbered fragments of dreams would also scatter and fade into nothing… Thus did the god who pursued and chained human hearts go to her destruction, when the bow, its power like a towering mountain, pronounced retribution upon her.  
Such an end was to be expected, that one who delighted so in tyranny should come to a cruel end.

When peace was restored, and the nights were no longer filled with lamentations and mourning, the mighty jade was carefully sealed. Here, it will patiently await the rise of another tyrant, to one day again pierce their heart with a light that no darkness can hide.

...........

“Wow, that god sounds horrible,” Paimon commented. “But what does it mean when it talks about that person eating dreams? You can’t really eat dreams, right? Is it some kind of weird metaphor?” The elf rubs her temple as if thinking is causing her a headache. 

Lumine had been wondering the same thing, and might not have thought much more of it than Paimon did, if she hadn’t recalled one particular evening at Wangshu Inn. She’d just finished a commission for Verr Goldet, and had noticed Xiao sitting at the table right outside Smiley’s kitchen, eating alone. He’d put a spoonful of Almond Tofu in his mouth and savored it. His expression had been… not a smile, exactly, but pleased. He clearly loved the stuff. Descending the stairs, she’d approached the adeptus.  
“What do you want?” he’d growled, upon noticing her. “I am accustomed to eating alone.” 

“I was just wondering,” Lumine had responded, “why do you like Almond Tofu so much?” It was the only thing he ever ate.

“Why do I like it?” Xiao seemed surprised, and it took him a moment to respond. His eyes had gone distant for a while before he responded, so quietly Lumine could hardly hear him, “It tastes like dreams…” 

“Dreams?” Lumine had questioned, befuddled. Like Paimon, she’d thought it was some kind of poetic metaphor. 

Then Xiao had snapped back to the present, and given her a stern look. “Leave me in peace,” he’d growled, so Lumine had ceased her line of questioning and retreated, not so curious that she’d risk making him mad at her. He had clearly not been in the best of moods that day. Better to let him enjoy his Almond Tofu.

But now, staring at the paper in her hands, reading over it again, she started to wonder. What if that hadn’t been a strange metaphor after all? What if it was really possible to eat dreams? And what did that mean, exactly? How could someone eat something intangible? 

She decided she needed to find answers to these questions, and the fastest way to find out what she wanted, she determined on the long walk back to Liyue Harbor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inscription on the stone box is taken from the item story of the weapon Primordial Jade Vista, released only in the beta version of the game.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a time when men were kind  
When their voices were soft  
And their words inviting  
There was a time when love was blind  
And the world was a song  
And the song was exciting  
There was a time  
Then it all went wrong  
\-- “I Dreamed A Dream,” Les Miserables

............

Lumine wasn’t so familiar with Zhongli that she felt she could simply drop in on him and ask for a favor. At first, she considered bringing a gift for him to sweeten the deal, because Cloud Retainer always seemed much more willing to help after she received a nice pot of Jewelry Soup. Bringing offerings to adepti seemed like the thing to do. But then, she remembered just how refined and particular Zhongli’s aesthetic taste was, and felt too intimidated to continue that plan of action. Even if she found out what exactly he liked, she probably wouldn’t be able to afford it. It would be more worth her mora to simply go to the Wangshang Funeral Parlor and hire Zhongli as a consultant.

Which, in the end, was exactly what she ended up doing. While she didn’t feel comfortable enough in their acquaintanceship to ask for a favor from such an esteemed personage, business was business, and nobody understood that better than the god of commerce himself. If a Fatui Agent, of all people, could hire Zhongli as a consultant, then so could she. 

But first, there was a problem she had to take care of. Something told her what she found out about the inscription on the box might not be information she wanted spread all around town. While Paimon could be tactful when she wanted to be, she was also a little blabbermouth. For safety’s sake, she decided the elf should not be present for this meeting. As for how to get her out of the way-- that was easy, but also expensive. This investigation of hers was eating up all her mora, fast. 

They were down by the docks in Liyue Harbor, watching people bustle around to different shops, listening to sellers hawking their wares. Overhead, seagulls cried and chattered, diving down to the stone pavement anytime they spotted anything resembling food. The fence railings and stone underfoot was coated with a generous smattering of white goo, making Lumine nervous lest some of those bird droppings land on her head. She kept glancing at the sky. Though there were no waves in the harbor, the ocean rocked gently against the piers, making soft splashing sounds, and a fresh, damp breeze that smelled faintly of salt lifted her hair. 

“Paimon,” Lumine said, “I was thinking I’d go to Wangshang Funeral Parlor by myself, this time.”

The elf narrowed her eyes. “Is this your way of telling Paimon to leave you alone?” she asked with an offended huff, and a folding of her arms. 

“No, no,” Lumine said, waving her hands in the air, and then reaching into the bag at her side for the little pouch of mora she’d already prepared. “It’s just, I thought you might like to go shopping--” she produced the bag, and Paimon’s expression changed instantly, her midnight-blue eyes going wide with excitement-- “and you’d be able to get a lot more food if you didn’t have to share with me.”

“Say no more,” Paimon said, greedily snatching the bag of mora and pulling it open to look inside it. Lumine could almost see the glow of golden mora in her eyes. “Paimon will see you later!” And with that, she zipped off to her favorite food stands. See? Easy. 

Now, she had an appointment to keep. Hu Tao had reminded her, when she’d made the appointment, that Zhongli expected customers to be prompt in their arrivals. Lumine couldn’t understand why he was such a stickler for punctuality, when as an immortal, he had so much time on his hands. But, she also couldn’t say she hadn’t expected that trait, considering the rest of his personality. 

So, she arrived at the parlor fifteen minutes early, and waited on the bench outside, petting a stray cat, until the ferrylady let her in. The parlor was well decorated in traditional Liyuean style, but the design enhanced, rather than undermined, the room’s somber mood. It seemed appropriate for a funeral house that arranged burials for gods, adepti, and important human figures of all kinds, but it was that very appropriateness that surprised her. After all, anyone who had met Director Hu Tao… Well. Someone else must have done the interior design. 

Zhongli’s office, on the other hand, had a very different theme. It was also decorated in traditional Liyuean style, but the emphasis was on the delicate beauty the former Archon seemed to admire so much. The walls were adorned by ink paintings, pressed flowers, and carved wooden shelves, upon which sat various artifacts of wonderful craftsmanship. All manner of objects sat on those shelves: a pottery vase, pressed with the shape of a Windmill Aster before it was fired and glazed, a pair of Cor Lapis stones that were very nearly identical, a bottle of fine osmanthus wine that had not yet been opened, a jade plate with the carving of a woman on it. Painted silk screens that displayed cranes in flight, captured in grace, reflected evening sunlight in just the right way to make the cranes seem almost alive. Her feet sank into a soft woven rug. The room smelled like rose tea, and she identified the source of the scent as a beautiful hand-painted porcelain teapot with a wisp of steam rising from its spout. Two matching teacups sat beside it upon saucers of jade. Their rims reflected gold. In here, the sounds of the street had gone silent, and all that was audible was the rustle of tree branches outside the window. Rather than an office, this room would be better described as a drawing room. The sense of serenity that enveloped her as she stepped inside it suggested it was a place for repose and reflection, rather than work. 

Sitting behind the table, watching her approach with those Cor Lapis eyes, was Zhongli himself. He fit perfectly well into his environment. He himself was so beautiful, so poised, and so serene, that he seemed an essential part of the scenery. Graceful as always, he gestured to a chair beside him at the table, and in a low, kind voice, said, “Lumine. Welcome. Please, take a seat.” 

If she hadn’t been intimidated by Morax, formerly Rex Lapis, before that moment, she was then. It was amazing how even in human form, he exuded the glory of divinity. She wondered how no one else around him had yet guessed that he was the former Archon. Or, at least, an adeptus. Was it really that hard to see what she saw, through mortal eyes? 

But, she’d come there for a purpose. Nodding, she took the seat he’d motioned to. “Thank you, Master Zhongli, for agreeing to meet with me,” she said.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling kindly. “Of course. As it is a matter of business that brings you here, there is no need to thank me.” He paused to pour tea into the two cups, passing one to her, and taking one himself. “Although, if you came to hear more of my stories, you needn’t have made an appointment. You’re always welcome.” 

“Thank you.” She took a sip of the tea. Its flavor was delicate, with a complexity that was beyond her ability to appreciate. She was glad she hadn’t brought him a gift. There was no way he would have liked it. “Actually, I did come to hear a story, though-- I would guess that the contents of that story are not very pleasant. Certainly not the kind of thing one would want to discuss with one’s friends over tea.” 

“Oh?” his serene expression was just barely broken by the lifting of one of his eyebrows. 

She dug into her bag, and pulled out the piece of paper she’d copied the writing onto. She passed it to him. “While I was in the mountains north of Sal Terrae, I found a stone box with a weapon sealed inside it. This was carved into the stone slab.”

Zhongli opened the paper and read as she spoke. His eyes flicked quickly over the words, as if he was simply reminding himself of what he already knew they said. “So,” he said, distractedly touching his thumb to his jaw, “you found that place.”  
So he knew of it. Well, of course he did. “I want to know,” she said. “What’s written there-- is that all true?” 

He set the paper down on the table and picked up his tea again. “It is. That was but one small part of the Archon war, and the God of Wit was but one life that was taken, out of many.” 

“So,” Lumine frowned, troubled, and studied the ink painting on the opposite wall to console herself. “A god that cruel really did exist.”

“Yes.” Zhongli’s expression was unreadable. “Does that surprise you?” 

“No,” she said, her unwilling thoughts turning to her own aunt and mother. She steered the images in her mind away from those faces as quickly as she could. What, had she thought that because Teyvat was such a beautiful place, it was devoid of the cruelty she’d found on her own world? Evil was everywhere. She finally met Zhongli’s eyes again. “Will you tell me about her? And about that person she called her bloodhound. And… is it really possible to eat dreams?”

Zhongli closed his eyes, looking pensive, before opening them again and giving Lumine the slightest of frowns. “I am under contract,” he said, “so I will not deny this request. However, I advise you to rethink whether you truly want to hear this story.”

Lumine blinked, surprised. “Why?”

“Do you remember the time we uncovered the story of the God of Salt together?”

“Of course.”

“Then, you will remember that sometimes, the truth can be a punishment.”

Lumine stared, concerned. “Why would this truth be a punishment to me? I have no connection to that god.” 

“Perhaps not,” he said, studying the design on his teacup. “But not all persons involved in this story have yet passed on to the next life, and hearing it may alter your perception of them.”

Lumine felt a sinking in her stomach. Dreading the answer, she asked, “It’s Xiao, isn’t it?” 

He looked at her shrewdly. “Why do you think so?”

Lumine hugged herself. “I once asked him why he liked Almond Tofu so much. He said it tasted like dreams.”

Zhongli looked surprised. “He said that? Hmm.” He touched his jaw, looking pensive again. “I am surprised he spoke of it to you. Yes, Xiao is deeply involved in this story. Unless I am mistaken, the two of you have become quite close lately. Isn’t that right?”

Lumine felt surprised, and a little embarrassed. “Close? I wouldn’t say that… We worked together to get rid of a fake adeptus con man, and I invited him to the Lantern Rite with me.”

“And did he agree to go with you?” His calm expression suggested he already knew the answer to this question.

“Not all the way. He only came as far as the edge of the city, but I think he could see the lanterns from there.” 

Zhongli nodded. “Even that much is very unusual for him. This is why I believe he thinks highly of you.” He paused, then added, “I think he would be very unhappy if he knew you’d learned of his past.” 

That comment weighed on her. Zhongli was willing to answer her questions, not because he thought it was right, but because he was bound by a contract. And, he seemed to think whatever fragile friendship existed between her and Xiao would be shattered by the contents of this story. Still, she wondered. What had happened between him and that god? “Then, I won’t tell him,” Lumine said. “As long as you don’t either, he’ll never know.”

Zhongli frowned. It was the first time she’d seen him dissatisfied with her in particular. “If he asks me directly, I will not lie to him.” 

“That’s fine. If I don’t hear the actual story, I’m sure I’ll imagine something worse than reality.” It was a halfhearted attempt at a joke. Zhongli did not seem to share her humor.

“I highly doubt that.” Her heart thumped in her chest. Just how terrible was this history? “Then you insist on hearing it, despite my warnings?” 

Again, Lumine hesitated. Something like fear trickled into her veins. Zhongli was wise. Perhaps she should trust his instincts on this. But, just like in the tunnel, something called her onward, into the unknown. She wasn’t the type of person to turn back at warnings of danger.

Finally, she nodded an assent. Sighing, Zhongli leaned back in his chair. Reluctantly, he said, “Very well, then.” 

………..  
The cat spirit came into being in midwinter. In its former life, it had been a normal barn tomcat that had lived on catching the mice that tried to get into grain stores. In the warmth and safety of the barn, it had lived a long time, and had become wise. Finally, its wisdom gave rise to something entirely new-- intelligence. With intelligence, came divinity. And so, it was reborn as a cat spirit. It didn’t remember its former life as a barn cat-- those memories were muddled by the low intelligence of a beast. When it came into the world, it looked around itself with the wonderment of new eyes. 

The first sensation it remembered feeling was cold. It had taken the form of a young human boy-- though that boy was certainly strange. For the most part, his features were similar to those of other humans in that part of the world. However, some things were starkly different. Rather than having small, round ears on the sides of his head, the cat spirit had pointed, feline ears that stuck out through a thick mop of long, black hair. His eyes were most inhuman; green-gold with a vertical pupil, which reflected blue-green in the low light of evening. His spine extended into a graceful tail covered with long black fur, and his fingernails grew to a sharp point, thick and slightly curved into claws. In every other way, he was human, and like all humans when they are first born, he was naked. The cold bit into his bare skin, and though he didn’t know how to escape it, he still retained enough wisdom from his former life that he knew he ought to move, and seek shelter somewhere other than beneath the boughs of the forest.  
The sound of bleating goats led him to a clearing, where he crouched down inside a stand of bamboo. Two buildings rose up within the meadow, looking very large to such a small person. A curl of smoke rose from the chimney of one of them, and an orange light showed through its window. His sensitive nose twitched at the scent of the smoke. The other building was nearer, and darker. From it, he heard noises of shuffling, the the occasional bleat of a goat. Perhaps some distant memory of the warmth and safety of barns drove him to investigate this second building. Though he had not yet learnt to unlatch the doors of the barn, he managed to climb up a wall and into a window, startling the goats inside as he landed in a pile of straw.

When a farm boy unlatched the doors the next morning, letting the goats out into the cool fog of dawn, shaking a pail of grain to encourage them to wake up and move, he noticed something odd in the back of the barn. A naked boy, younger than himself, was curled up on a bed of straw, asleep. All around him, barn cats napped, snuggling against him and each other for warmth. Astonished, the farm boy approached curiously. Feral as they were, the barn cats startled awake at the human’s approach and scattered to all four corners of the barn, finding small, dark places to hide. Their sudden movement caused the cat spirit to awaken as well. He sat up, yawning and knuckling his eyes, before blinking them open, revealing those inhuman, feline gold irises. The farm boy noticed this just as he took in the cat spirit’s tail, ears, and claws. With a gasp of alarm, the boy dropped the pail with the grain before standing frozen in shock, causing a large clatter that made the cat spirit jump in confusion and alarm. His surprise didn’t last long, though. The cat spirit had not yet learned fear. Instead, he leaned forward, craning his neck to see what had spilled out of the pail, and twitching his nose as he sniffed. It did not smell very interesting. 

The farm boy, on the other hand, was very interesting indeed. The cat spirit extended his hands in front of him, looking between them and the farm boy’s hands. He did the same thing with his feet-- the farm boy was not from rich family, so his feet were bare. At last, the spirit touched the ears on top of his head, and stared at the farm boy as if he were very strange. Wondering why this being did not have ears, he climbed to his feet and walked forward, arms outstretched to touch the farm boy’s head. This was far too much for the poor, petrified human. With a squeak of terror, the boy turned and fled back the way he’d come, leaving the barn doors wide open and swinging in the wind. In those times, it was not at all rare for a mortal to stumble across a god or a demon, but especially in that part of the country, such encounters almost never ended positively for the human. 

Of course, the cat spirit could not have known this. So he only observed, with a vague sense of surprise, the human’s hasty retreat. Soon, however, he became bored of this activity, and began to explore the barnyard and its inhabitants. The goats were not frightened by him. They seemed much more wary of the flakes of snow starting to drift down from the sky. At first, the cat spirit did not notice these. He found that he was hungry, and was busy putting various objects in his mouth to test their palatability.  
Nothing was to his satisfaction. He tried taking a handful of the grain the goats were eating, but found it to be impossible to chew. Finally, thwarted, he snuggled against the goats for warmth, and only then noticed the bits of fluffy white falling from the sky. 

These snowflakes entertained him for quite some time. He tried catching them between his hands, and whether he succeeded or not, he would giggle with mirth all throughout the attempt. He was disappointed to find they melted in his hands and disappeared, but that disappointment fled as soon as another floating flake caught his eye. Before long, though, they began to coat the ground in a thick, silent blanket. After a moment’s consideration, he grabbed a handful of the snow, and when it did not melt immediately in his hands, he stuffed it in his mouth. Finding it to be easily palatable, and to have a pure, clean taste, he scooped up the snow around him and began munching away. He succeeded in filling his belly, to what degree it is possible to become full on ice, but was overcome with violent shivering as the cold settled in, and had to return to the flock of goats for comfort and warmth. 

By evening, the farm boy dared to venture into the barnyard again, this time accompanied by his younger sister. They found the cat spirit in the barn as before. His bare feet and hands had turned an irritated red from all the time he’d spent crouching on snow and cold earth, but he seemed happy enough as he snoozed away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, lil baby Xiao! So adorable! It’d sure be a shame if something… happened to him… 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJk4NF1u4CI


End file.
